Asian Liberals and Democrats Observe Thai Elections

It was described as “generation-defining” election. In a number of ways, it was.

The recently concluded Thailand general election saw a record turnout exceeding 75% or around 39 million people.  Of the registered voters, around 14.7% or 7.7 million people belong to the so-called Generation Z (Gen Z), aged 18-26 years old. More importantly, among the Gen Z voters, around 90% expect to see change due to their political engagement.

Change indeed came when the unofficial results of the 14 May 2023 elections show that opposition political parties Move Forward Party and the Pheu Thai Party won 152 and 141 seats, respectively, in the 500-seat House of Representatives.  The MFP is currently spearheading the delicate process of forming the next government, a process which could take weeks, even months.

A delegation from the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD), a regional network of political parties in Asia, was in Bangkok on 11-15 May to observe the elections – the first time that the network organized an election observation mission in Thailand.  With delegates from Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia and Indonesia, the mission aimed primarily to understand the key actors, issues and problems in the Thai elections, and to learn from the country’s experience in administering the electoral process.

“May 14 is indeed a momentous occasion for the Thai people as these elections can determine the direction of this country – whether it would be trapped in the past or would look forward to the future”, said CALD Secretary General Francis Gerald Abaya in his welcome remarks. “Thailand, together with Malaysia, are currently the region’s democratic bright spots – and their success, not only in holding elections but also sustaining reforms – could push the region back to the democratic track”, he added.

The first full day of the mission focused on disinformation and misinformation, particularly in the context of Thai elections.  The delegation visited the Meta/Facebook office in Bangkok, where Clare Amador, country head for public policy (Thailand and the Philippines), discussed the “3-way approach to misinformation” – remove, reduce and inform.  Afterwards, the delegation received a briefing from Asia Centre’s Korbkusol Neelapaichi on online disinformation and its impact on electoral integrity in Thailand. Cofact Thailand Co-Founder Supinya Klangnarong also met with the delegation to share Cofact’s initiatives to engage Thai civil society during elections. To counter disinformation and misinformation, communication is also key. For this reason, Radu Magdin, CEO of Smartlink Communications, also discussed with the delegation the different ways to communicate before and after the elections.

On the second day, the delegation was off to an early start to observe the caravan of Democrat Party (DP) of Thailand candidates.  The day before, the delegation also received a briefing from former CALD Secretary General and DP candidate Kiat Sittheeamorn, who also treated the delegates to a tour of the party premises. The afternoon of the second day was devoted to the 47^th CALD Executive Committee Meeting, where internal organizational issues were discussed.

The third and last day was election day, and it was on this day that the delegation members put on another hat as official international election observers.  In such capacity, the delegates were able to observe the opening of the polling station, and the vote casting process both in Bangkok and in nearby Pathum Thani. They were also able to observe the closing of the polling station, as well as the vote counting process.  Some delegates were also able to discuss with representatives of King Prajadhipok’s Institute and Workpoint on possible post-election outcomes and scenarios.

Reflecting on the mission and the election results, one of the delegates said: “We need to have political parties and candidates who actually listen to what the people want. Change is difficult, but not impossible.”

Change has come to Thailand. CALD is one with the Thai people in hoping that the change will finally put an end to vicious cycle of divisive politics in the Kingdom.